What I Learned About Life in Kuala Lumpur

I learned a lot about myself and the world in KL.

1) Know how to get from the airport to the hotel before you arrive at 12:30am. Points go to Indonesia here for always having friendly ibus on call to guide you in the right direction. We did not have such friendly help in KL.

2) Promptness is a thing pretty much everywhere outside of Indonesia. John and I had grown pretty Javanese in regard to time and showed up 15 minutes late to our scheduled time to go up in the Petronas towers. As a result, we were asked to wait as lines of others went ahead of us, resulting in our missing a meetup with fellow PCV, JHo. We couldn't get in touch with him since we couldn't use our Indonesian phones in Malaysia. 

JHo took his own picture at the Petronas Towers after our missed meetup.

 

3) Cupcakes heal. Feeling down about missing JHo due to my own inadequacy, John and I hit a cupcake place in the KLCC mall. After taking down a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter/caramel frosting, I felt almost ready to forgive myself. We also found out later JHo missed the appointment as well due to an issue with waiting for his Kazakhstan visa. 



4) Leave for the airport more than 2 hours before your flight - if the airport is an hour and a half away. Again, due to our Indonesian-ness, we were happily writing postcards, chatting with an Iranian friend in the hostel, and eating pork buns before we waltzed over to the train and bus. The AirAsia service assistant, Zainal, advised us that we'd have to pay a large sum to get on the next flight. When I asked him if this was our only option, he thought it over, avoided the usual round-about "polite" antics, looked me straight in the eye and said, "Yes". We all had a chuckle over this, and John handed over the large sum of money. Oh, Zainal. Due to our missing the original flight, I was able to spend time in the KL airport where I purchased Reese's and got to play with a happy Chinese baby. So win win there. 

Travel Info
Hotel: Ribbon Stayz (25 RM per person)
Dorm-style, shared bathrooms (I couldn't figure out how to work the shower), but a good place to meet other travelers, and there was toast for breakfast!

Food:
Bijou Cupcake in KLCC mall
Chocolate with caramel/peanut butter frosting is the best.

Sites:
Central Market
Really stress-free to walk around and pick up some souvenirs

Petronas Towers (about 30 USD reserved on-line in advance)
Don't be late to your assigned time, as mentioned above.

Banda Aceh, Pulau Weh, and Medan

After hitting the Peace Corps gong, symbolizing our last time leaving the Surabaya office, my amiga, MEBs and I flew to Banda Aceh on the island of Sumatra.  

We spent the day tuk tuk-ing to the tsunami sites, enjoying the friendliness of the people and the fact that they are a lot less grabby than on Java. Perhaps they have something with that sharia law, although I'm guessing things are different in the villages. We didn't have time to get to them. 

The city had been reconstructed with the inflow of NGO rebuilding funds, and it was probably the nicest Indonesian city I'd seen (should also be noted that in 2+ years in Indonesia, I never visited Jakarta).

After losing a clingy French couple and a South African with a shady past, MEBs and I headed to Pulau Weh which is supposedly the best snorkeling in Indonesia. We wouldn't know b/c it stormed the entire time we were there (and I think the snorkeling with Gina on Bunaken was pretty super). This was fine by us as we spent most of the time sleeping in our treehouse shack, eating, trying to avoid our numerous run-ins with death, and spending time with our Western-posse community of Hollanders, Aussies, and Americans. I also learned of the "chocolate banana pancake" which I'd like to be more a part of in the future. 

How we almost died numerous times

 "Take a right at the attacking, killer geese."

MEBs' hair caught in our tree shack bed net.

Prior to this photo of us safe on land, drinking tea, we had attempted to motorboat and snorkel in dangerous storm waters.

Riding the public ferry through a storm back to the mainland with a thousand of our closest smoking, crying, and vomiting friends. 

The Western Posse and Chocolate Banana Pancakes

After Pulau Weh, we headed for the city of Medan, which has nothing of note, except that we were reuniting with our friends John and Jay there. We swapped travel tales, piled four people onto a becak, and played basketball in the hotel. Jay and MEBs continued to Lake Toba, and John and I had to leave the country to renew our visa. John and I also ate hamburgers and saw a movie. After closing Peace Corps service, all of these things were most enjoyable.

Peace Corps Indonesia

For a complete chronicling of 2+ years serving in the Peace Corps in Indonesia, you can get your fill....and then some....and even more some, right here:

erindonesia!

(www.erindonesia.blogspot.com)

 

 

 

Dear Ho Chi Minh City Airport,

We've come to know each other well over these past weeks. I've said hellos and goodbyes to close friends and family in your terminals. I've run a 400 meter dash chasing down your taxi for a bag left behind. And I've finally deduced the advertising of the Hershey's Sundae Pie at your Burger King is a farce as it's never once been available when I asked.

Regardless, you're my final good-bye to Asia, and it smarts a bit. I'm gonna miss you, old friend. Keep the pho and bia hoi flowing for when I return.

Europe with Rachel, Rob Euell, Stevo, Ryan, Fee, Alice and Laura - I'm comin' to GETCHA! 

What's bigger than an elephant, has horns, and is causing a decrease in tourism in the Middle East?

Road tripping with the Europeans
to East Jordan

Sometimes I get to thinking that I am just not that interesting, and then I spend 4 hours in a car with some Europeans who have travelled the world, speak multiple languages, have really cool jobs, and it turns out they are real boring Boracks. 

In any case - alternatively, I have met some real kindred spirits here in the Middle East...a felucca captain who likes to be called Captain Rambo, a train conductor who prefers to be called Zorro, numerous Mohammeds, Machmouds, Ibrahims, and Nassers, and a bedouin who spied for the US in Iraq (not a very good spy, if you ask me, but he does make a mean cup of tea). Plus, watching Dena work her wiles has been a true learning experience. Somehow she will not only refuse to pay someone baksheesh, but she will actually win them over while doing it - occasionally inspiring a marriage proposal from across the Nile ("DENA, I LOVE you!!!!"). Amazing. Let's get her in there with the much beloved, Celine Dion, and get some real peace work done, people. 

In no way did I have nearly enough time do see everything one should see, so don't ask about the following as it will only spark within me a pang of regret and longing....Abu Simbel, Wadi Rum, Alexandria. I will just have to come back if anyone is up for it. Fitz kids? Anyone? 

I did get quite a rush from some of the things I did see, though...Petra!!!!!!!!!!!!, Karnak temple, some castles ideal for playing man-hunt, Dead Sea (which is way smaller than I thought - Israel, a mere stone's throw away, could catch the glare off my bare belly) , tomb heiroglyphics still in color after 4000 years, Tut's treasures, Nubian villages on the Nile, Cairo markets, etc. Love, love love.

I am going to pack up my bootleg seasons of The Wire, have 2 or 3 more desserts here in Amman, and call it a day. 

Oh yeah - what's bigger than an elephant, has horns, and is causing a decrease in tourism in the Middle East? A pig. As in swine flue. Yeah, Dena and I are still trying to figure that one out, but we are guessing maybe the guy who was trying to describe this to us has never seen an actual pig.

The Dead Sea with my pal, Ega, an Indonesian
 architect living in Sweden.